Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Applications are done, but wait, there's more!

So the college applications are submitted, and now it is time to get the FAFSA done as well as any other financial aid forms schools are requesting.

What is FAFSA?

·FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal
Student Aid and it's the form students and parents fill out to receive federal financial aid for college. The FAFSA will ask
about the student's demographics, student dependency and student and parent
financial info.It is FREE and if one is
at a site requesting payment, that is the wrong place!

Why should I fill out the FAFSA?

·Filing the FAFSA is the only way to qualify for
federal and state financial aid, includinggrants and work study. (Grant money does not have to be repaid!)

Who needs to fill out the FAFSA?

·The application asks for information from both
students and parents, especially when it comes to finances. (EVERYONE!)

·It's easiest to fill out the application online
at www.FAFSA.ed.gov
because using an online form will yield a more accurate and quicker result.
However, paper copies can be requested by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID.

WHEN is the FAFSA due?

·It is available after Jan 1 and should be filed
in January.Schools have different
priority deadlines so best advice is to get it done in January.Estimate taxes and then file an addendum when
taxes are filed.

College Goal Oregon is a FREE event designed to help Oregon
college-bound students and their families with the financial aid application
process. Everyone is invited to attend this event, whether they are high school
or non-traditional returning students. Financial aid professionals will be on
hand to help attendees complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) and the Oregon Student Access Commission (OSAC) scholarship
application. For dates and locations, check http://collegegoaloregon.gov/index.html

Finding Scholarships through OSAC:

Oregon
Student Access Commission (OSAC) is a clearing house for many college
scholarships for Oregon residents.